MP Mims Davies visits Eastleigh College to promote skills training

Eastleigh MP Mims Davies has visited the College’s specialist training facility, the Gas Assessment Centre, in a bid to highlight the need for more skilled workers in the construction industry.

Ms Davies met with representatives from leading UK boiler manufacturer Baxi and the Sustainable Energy Association (SEA) to discuss the Government’s recent plans to commission thousands of new homes, and what this will involve for Gas Safe registered engineers who will be involved in construction.

Baxi offers training to heating engineers and installers through the Gas Assessment Centre facility at Eastleigh College. Jeff House, Regulatory Marketing Manager at Baxi, said “Training facilities like the Gas Assessment Centre are critical for teaching the skills the UK needs, and that will be in greater demand with regards to the increase in house building and the eventual decarbonisation of heating. It is also important to make sure heating engineers are trained in new technology ready for when they become more mainstream.”

Working in partnership with the College, Baxi is able to train its heating engineers to the highest standard, while devising a training programme alongside the College which ensures that the employees are knowledgeable of the technical systems used by the Company.

Ms Davies commented, “The partnership between Eastleigh College and Baxi is fantastic. The work they are doing here at the College is exemplary and we should be seeing more of this across the country.”

She added, “I’ve had a wonderful time meeting the students here and finding out the work they’ve been doing with local companies. It’s great to see the diversity of work they’ve been doing when it comes to gas safety training across cookers, boilers and so on, and to highlight the importance of Eastleigh College as a local and national training provider.”

In addition to addressing the need for more skilled workers in areas such as Gas and Plumbing, Ms. Davies was keen to emphasise the need to encourage more young girls to study STEM subjects. “Today we’ve been talking very much about getting more girls comfortable working in environments like this. Quite often girls won’t get involved because they think it’s an oily-rag trade, but coming to a centre like this you can see it’s very mathematical and technical.

“All people from all walks of life would be surprised what you learn in an Apprenticeship through a facility like the Gas Assessment Centre.”

To find out more about the Gas Assessment Centre at Eastleigh College and the Plumbing and Gas courses on offer, please visit our careers page or call 023 8091 1299.